what is the easiest protective updo?

[julialynn]

I have been looking at the threads and saw some updos but I am not sure what is the easiest. Can I just take a soft scrunchie and make a bun? Would a bun be considered twisting your hair and cause damage? I got some hair sticks and made a bun but it keeps falling out. I see people with high buns all the time now but I don't see how they are securing them. If you can point me to some instructables to the easiest hairstyle to protect bsl length hair that would be awesome. Thanks

[lapis_lazuli]

For me, it's the lazy wrap bun :) I got instructions for it here: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Lazy-Wrap-Bun
I wear it almost every day now and it holds pretty well. Just make sure your initial loop is small, the stick is flat against your head, and to catch scalp hair when you're maneuvering it up.

[lapushka]

It all depends on how long your hair is, and on how thick it is - what you can manage to do. So the obvious questions? ;) :)

Length?
Thickness?

[julialynn]

Bsl length
Fine hair
I have maybe a little under medium amount of hair I think

[meteor]

This is pretty individual and a lot depends on your hair's grippiness and density... :) For simplest updos, I'd recommend checking out the peacock twist, disc bun, lazy wrap bun, cinnabun...

Personally, I found a folded braid the easiest updo style at that length. Later I could do a braided cinnablob, which is also very easy. I find, braids are easier to manipulate into updos than loose hair because it's all already contained while you are pinning it in place.

[Robot Ninja]

Whatever bun you do, no matter how easy, will take a bit of practice to get right, especially if you're new to buns in general. If you make it too tight, it will hurt and you run the risk of traction alopecia over time. If you make it too loose, it will just fall out.

If you can French or Dutch braid, it will make bunning even easier, since you can use the braid as an anchor. If you can't French or Dutch braid, again, practice.

[lillielil]

I also have BSL length hair and not a whole lot of it, so we can probably do some of the same styles. For every day I really like the LWB. I wrap mine around 2 fingers (certainly not my whole hand!) so that may be a good starting point for you. It does not require twisting, so I find it very gentle on my hair. As some other said, braids are also a great option.

When you say "just take a scrunchie and make a bun", it makes me think that you might be trying a cinnabun (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JhXxMY5CGY)or a bee-butt bun (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=117877), both of which involve twisting and can be harder to secure with sticks.

[gustavonut]

I need help with this too since I can only really put my hair in a peacock twist with an extra large claw clip. I need something more secure! My ends are sticking out on of the top but I feel they aren't protected enough. And I can't manage a lazy wrap yet since my hair is too short and too thick :mad:
I have one plastic hair stick that I did do one.. "bun" with it that looked alright and stayed for a while.. But I never could do it again :shrug:

[Anje]

Definitely depends on your hair. Lots of people have luck with claw clips, but they never weren't prone to pulling for me.

My easiest style for a long long time has been a lazy wrap bun held with one stick. (Ficcares hold even better, but they're bulky to keep one in my pocket, where a stick is not.) I like to twist my hair for the outer loop, which makes a big difference in how well it holds long-term for me.

[Nique1202]

The disc bun doesn't get enough love but it's do-able for nearly everyone from about APL onward (even a lot of iii manes). The ends get tucked right in underneath, it's easier to get the loops snug enough to hold all day with minimal practice, and it only requires one stick or pen to secure. It's also rather pretty and distinctive.

[lapushka]

Bsl length
Fine hair
I have maybe a little under medium amount of hair I think

A folded under peacock twist would be nice (I wore it all the way from APL or thereabouts to waist/hip), as well as a LWB (lazy wrap bun). I think a Nautilus might be too far away still, but you can always try, and then there's the cinnamon bun (or cinnabun).

Your hair is quite long already! That's great! :D

[lillielil]

I forgot another good one - French twist! There are a lot of ways to do these, but this is the way that works best for me:

Start by gathering hair at the nape. Twist, holding hair up. When your twist is pretty solid, spread some hair from the side over the twist, up to your crown or a little below. Fold the twist and tuck it under, going back down. If the ends reach all the way to the bottom and poke out, fold it again. Keep everything in place with a flexi-8 or big clip over the twist. You can hold it all in place with hair pins (bobby pins are horrible for this), but it is a real pain compared to using a pretty toy that goes over the twist.

[Anje]

The disc bun doesn't get enough love but it's do-able for nearly everyone from about APL onward (even a lot of iii manes). The ends get tucked right in underneath, it's easier to get the loops snug enough to hold all day with minimal practice, and it only requires one stick or pen to secure. It's also rather pretty and distinctive.

I actually think the disc bun might be best for thick hair. I have trouble getting the loops small enough to hold even at my length, since my hair isn't all that thick and tapers besides. But if you've got big hair or lots of hair, it's gotta be a godsend.

[hypersensitive]

For those high buns with no obvious means of holding them, they are probably using a whole ton of bobby pins and hairspray. That, and maybe also a bun former and spin pins.

I mainly do a lazy wrap, because it's so easy, and perfect for the lazy long hair. I just tried the disc bun and it holds well! But, it takes longer than the lazy wrap and I'm really that lazy. Anything that involves twisting the length takes too long for me when you start to have longer hair and the tension can create headaches for me.

[chen bao jun]

I was going to say disc bun also, but with thinner hair you might be able to manage another bun besides that early on.

SPIN PINS to secure.

[chen bao jun]

IT is also possible to use the smaller hair friendly claw clips, 2 or 3 of them, around the edges of a bun to secure. You jsut grip the edge of the bun and grip some of your other hair.

Did anyone mention the braided foldup, that may be done with a ficcare, fakkare or with a flexi eight.

There is someone who is or was a member on her, FrannyG who had a whole webpage dedicated to hairstyles,that mostly all worked at BSL. There was one called the Southern Tease Bun that I lived in for a while. Probably you can find her in a google search.

[julialynn]

Than you so much for your suggestions. Now I have to get busy and try stuff:):) My hair is kind of long I never like short hair. I can always get it to bsl length but can never get past that. I would love to have hair down to my waist.

[DeadlyUnicorn]

The easiest bun for me has always been the nautilus.. I don't know how long you hair has to be to do that one though as I learned it when my hair was at tbl(when I joined this site). I also like a simple cinnabun secured with spin pins or a ficcare.

[gustavonut]

Disc bun worked for me woooo! :happydance:

[hayheadsbird]

I can manage a nautilus about half the time, and am getting better (75%) with a cinnamon bun, but the disc bun is a total no go! It genuinely feels like my hair is too thick/short, yet everyone else raves about it. Feeling a bit green :P

[Nique1202]

I can manage a nautilus about half the time, and am getting better (75%) with a cinnamon bun, but the disc bun is a total no go! It genuinely feels like my hair is too thick/short, yet everyone else raves about it. Feeling a bit green :P

If your hair is long enough for a nautilus to hold at all, it's definitely long enough for the disc bun, because usually the disc bun comes sooner. Maybe loosen or tighten the loops a bit?

[hayheadsbird]

If your hair is long enough for a nautilus to hold at all, it's definitely long enough for the disc bun, because usually the disc bun comes sooner. Maybe loosen or tighten the loops a bit?

I think my fingers are too big! I'll keep practising though. The nautilus is the short variation from this thread, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=137419 , so my hair might just not be long enough yet.

[Arctic]

I can manage a nautilus about half the time, and am getting better (75%) with a cinnamon bun, but the disc bun is a total no go! It genuinely feels like my hair is too thick/short, yet everyone else raves about it. Feeling a bit green :P

Try my three-strand disc bun. It should be easier on thick hair, and one should be able to do it before the regular disc bun. When you get 25+ posts you can access to my blog. Choose the Styles, tutorial, instructions sub-category, scroll down a bit and it's there.

...or I could find you a link. Here you go! (3-strand disc bun instructions (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/entry.php?b=125332)) (((You'll need few more posts.)))

[pailin]

I was able to do the disc bun but gave it up since I always ended up with kinked ends.

[w0nderland]

Hello! My hair is stuck in between collarbone and APL, my go to is the lazy wrap bun (It's the only one i can manage) if my hair is having a straight day it's an absolute nightmare to get it to hold and ends stick out everywhere, if its a bit wavy it holds great all day and the ends stay in! (mostly)

[Groovy Granny]

Hello! My hair is stuck in between collarbone and APL, my go to is the lazy wrap bun (It's the only one i can manage) if my hair is having a straight day it's an absolute nightmare to get it to hold and ends stick out everywhere, if its a bit wavy it holds great all day and the ends stay in! (mostly)

Twists with claws were a big help at that length for me as well.
I couldn't do a LWB until I was MBL!

[samanthaa]

For me, it's the lazy wrap bun :) I got instructions for it here: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Lazy-Wrap-Bun
I wear it almost every day now and it holds pretty well. Just make sure your initial loop is small, the stick is flat against your head, and to catch scalp hair when you're maneuvering it up.

I don't mean to get off topic, but these instructions have made me confused about the LWB. I've always done it by wrapping the hair around two fingers (or one), THEN around my thumb, then around the base, and inserting the stick through the loop created by the two fingers, through the base, then out the loop created by the thumb. This tutorial looks like it skips the thumb loop (in which case I'm confused as to how the stick stays put).

But back on topic, my easy bun is always a nautilus for waist+ thin hair. I like the pha bun a lot too; it was tricky to learn, with the tension, but just as easy as a nautilus once you get used to it. The LWB always ends up being too loose for me, whether over 1 or 2 fingers for the first loop (but maybe I'm doing something wrong).

[lillielil]

I don't mean to get off topic, but these instructions have made me confused about the LWB. I've always done it by wrapping the hair around two fingers (or one), THEN around my thumb, then around the base, and inserting the stick through the loop created by the two fingers, through the base, then out the loop created by the thumb. This tutorial looks like it skips the thumb loop (in which case I'm confused as to how the stick stays put).

But back on topic, my easy bun is always a nautilus for waist+ thin hair. I like the pha bun a lot too; it was tricky to learn, with the tension, but just as easy as a nautilus once you get used to it. The LWB always ends up being too loose for me, whether over 1 or 2 fingers for the first loop (but maybe I'm doing something wrong).

I don't wrap it around my thumb either, but I do spread the initial loop (which I make around 2, maybe 3 fingers) around the wrapped base so that it fully encircles the rest of the bun. My stick then enters between the outside loop, goes under the wrapped base, and exits between the wrapped base and outside loop, meaning it ends up lying on top of the initial (outer) loop and under the rest of the bun.

[samanthaa]

I don't wrap it around my thumb either, but I do spread the initial loop (which I make around 2, maybe 3 fingers) around the wrapped base so that it fully encircles the rest of the bun. My stick then enters between the outside loop, goes under the wrapped base, and exits between the wrapped base and outside loop, meaning it ends up lying on top of the initial (outer) loop and under the rest of the bun.

If this is the case, what makes it different than the nautilus? When I do a nautilus, I do basically this, except I make the loop by wrapping it down over my hand rather than up over two fingers (as in the case of the LWB). For the nautilus, I wrap the length around the base, spread the loop over the base, and insert the stick over one side of the loop, through the base, then out over the other side of the loop so "it ends up lying on top of the initial (outer) loops and under the rest of the bun."

[irodaryne]

If this is the case, what makes it different than the nautilus? When I do a nautilus, I do basically this, except I make the loop by wrapping it down over my hand rather than up over two fingers (as in the case of the LWB). For the nautilus, I wrap the length around the base, spread the loop over the base, and insert the stick over one side of the loop, through the base, then out over the other side of the loop so "it ends up lying on top of the initial (outer) loops and under the rest of the bun."

The Lazy Wrap and Nautilus end up looking exactly the same. My understanding is that the main difference is just how the style is achieved. For one, you wrap the loop over one hand and then plop it on over the base and for the other you make the loop where the base will be and then wrap the length under it, so the loop is already there when the base is formed. The LWB way of doing it is easier if your hair is too short for a proper nautilus, whereas a proper nautilus may be easier if you have more hair (especially once you start needing bigger loops to go around the base)

[Deborah]

I find a flipped bun to be very easy, and prettier than a regular cinnamon bun.

[Nique1202]

If this is the case, what makes it different than the nautilus? When I do a nautilus, I do basically this, except I make the loop by wrapping it down over my hand rather than up over two fingers (as in the case of the LWB). For the nautilus, I wrap the length around the base, spread the loop over the base, and insert the stick over one side of the loop, through the base, then out over the other side of the loop so "it ends up lying on top of the initial (outer) loops and under the rest of the bun."

The nautilus is formed by twisting the initial loop of hair out from the head, not by wrapping around the hand holding the "ponytail" where the base is going to be. The twist is what makes it different. I don't know if wrapping down over the thumb makes it something other than a lazy wrap, but it's not a nautilus.

[samanthaa]

For one, you wrap the loop over one hand and then plop it on over the base and for the other you make the loop where the base will be and then wrap the length under it, so the loop is already there when the base is formed.

Which one is which? I'm guessing nautilus former, LWB latter?


The nautilus is formed by twisting the initial loop of hair out from the head, not by wrapping around the hand holding the "ponytail" where the base is going to be. The twist is what makes it different. I don't know if wrapping down over the thumb makes it something other than a lazy wrap, but it's not a nautilus.

Ah, okay, I do twist out my nautilus. I've been doing the nautilus correct and apparently the LWB wrong (or not doing it at all, since I didn't like the hold I got from it).

[hayheadsbird]

Try my three-strand disc bun. It should be easier on thick hair, and one should be able to do it before the regular disc bun. When you get 25+ posts you can access to my blog. Choose the Styles, tutorial, instructions sub-category, scroll down a bit and it's there.

...or I could find you a link. Here you go! (3-strand disc bun instructions (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/entry.php?b=125332)) (((You'll need few more posts.)))
Thank you! I shall go and try to up my post count without spouting drivel all over the boards!